The legend of Annapurna, Hindu goddess of nourishment - Antara Raychaudhuri & Iseult Gillespie

Prevodilac: Kristina Radosavljević Lektor: Ivana Krivokuća

Lord Shiva— primordial destroyer of evil, slayer of demons,

Gospodar Šiva - iskonski razarač zla, ubica demona,

protector, and omniscient observer of the universe—

zaštitnik i sveznajući čuvar svemira -

was testing his wife’s patience.

testirao je strpljenje svoje žene.

Historically, the union between Shiva and Parvati was a glorious one.

Prvobitno, zajednica Šive i Parvati je bila veličanstvena.

They maintained the equilibrium between thought and action

Oni su održavali ravnotežu između misli i akcije,

on which the well-being of the world depended.

od koje zavisi postojanje sveta.

Without Parvati as the agent of energy, growth, and transformation on Earth,

Bez Parvati, kao posrednika energije, rasta i transformacije na Zemlji,

Shiva would become a detached observer, and the world would remain static.

Šiva bi postao nemi posmatrač, a svet bi ostao statičan.

But together, the two formed a divine union known as Ardhanarishvara––

Zajedno su ovo dvoje stvorili uzvišenu zajednicu poznatu kao Ardhanarišvara -

a sacred combination

svetu kombinaciju

which brought fertility and connection to all living things.

koja donosi plodnost i vezu svim živim organizmima.

For these reasons, Parvati was worshipped far and wide

Zbog toga je Parvati bila poštovana naširoko i nadaleko,

as the mother of the natural world––

kao majka prirode na zemlji -

and the essential counterpart to Shiva’s powers of raw creation.

i neophodna protivteža Šivinoj moći sirovog stvaranja.

She oversaw humanity’s material comforts;

Ona je nadgledala ljudske materijalne potrebe,

and ensured that the Earth’s inhabitants were bonded to each other

i brinula se da su stanovnici zemlje povezani jedni s drugima

physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

fizički, emotivno i duhovno.

Yet a rift had grown between these two formidable forces.

Ipak, nastao je procep između ove dve ogromne sile.

While Parvati sustained daily life with care and control,

Dok je Parvati podržavala svakodnevni život uz brigu i kontrolu,

Shiva had begun to belittle his wife’s essential work—

Šiva je počeo da omalovažava važnost posla svoje žene -

and insisted on quarreling about their roles in the universe.

i insistirao na raspravljanju oko njihovih uloga u svemiru.

He believed that Brahma, the Creator of the world,

Verovao je da je Brahma, tvorac sveta,

had conceived the material plane purely for his own fancy.

stvorio materijalnu ravan samo da bi se zabavio.

And therefore, all material things were merely distractions called māyā—

Stoga, sve materijalne stvari su samo puko ometanje, nazvano maja -

nothing but a cosmic illusion.

što nije ništa do puke kosmičke iluzije.

For millennia Parvati had merely smiled knowingly

Hiljadama godina Parvati se samo znalački smeškala

as Shiva dismissed the things she nurtured.

dok je Šiva odbacivao stvari koje je ona negovala.

But upon His latest rebuke,

Nakon njegovog poslednjeg prekora,

she knew she had to prove the importance of her work

znala je da mora da dokaže važnost svog rada

once and for all.

jednom za svagda.

She took flight from the world,

Odletela je sa zemlje,

withdrawing her half of the cosmic energy that kept the Earth turning.

povlačeći za sobom svoju polovinu kosmičke energije koja je okretala zemlju.

At her disappearance, a sudden, terrifying and all-encompassing scarcity

Sa njenim nestankom, iznenadna, užasavajuća i sveobuhvatna oskudica

enveloped the world in eerie silence.

obavila je svet u jezivu tišinu.

Without Parvati, the land became dry and barren.

Bez Parvati, zemlja je postala suva i neplodna.

Rivers shrank and crops shriveled in the fields.

Reke su se smanjile, a usevi sasušili po poljima.

Hunger descended on humanity.

Glad se spustila na čovečanstvo.

Parents struggled to console their starving children

Roditelji su pokušavali da obodre decu koja su gladovala,

while their own stomachs rumbled.

iako su i njihovi stomaci krčali.

With nothing to eat, people no longer gathered over heaped bowls of rice,

U nedostatku hrane, ljudi se više nisu skupljali oko bogatih trpeza,

but withdrew and shrank from the darkening world.

nego su se povlačili i sklanjali od sveta koji je postajao sve mračniji.

To His shock and awe,

Na svoje zaprepašćenje,

Shiva also felt the profound emptiness left by his wife’s absence.

Šiva je takođe osećao duboku prazninu odlaskom svoje žene.

Despite His supreme power,

Uprkos svojoj uzvišenoj moći,

He too realized that He was not immune to the need for sustenance,

i on je shvatio da nije imun na potrebu za podrškom,

and His yearning felt bottomless and unbearable.

te je čežnja koju je osećao bila bezgranična i nepodnošljiva.

As Shiva despaired over the desolate Earth,

Dok je Šiva očajavao nad opustošenom zemljom,

He came to realize that the material world

shvatio je da se materijalni svet

could not be so easily dismissed.

ne može tek tako odbaciti.

At her husband’s epiphany,

Nakon muževljeve spoznaje,

the compassionate Parvati could no longer stand by

saosećajna Parvati nije više mogla da stoji po strani

and watch her devotees wasting away.

i da gleda kako nestaje sve čemu je bila posvećena.

To walk among them and restore their health,

Kako bi sišla među njih i izlečila ih,

she took the form of a new avatar,

uzela je oblik novog avatara,

carrying a golden bowl of porridge and armed with a jewel-encrusted ladle.

noseći zlatnu činiju kaše, opremljena kutlačom ukrašenom draguljima.

As word of this hopeful figure spread,

Kako se širila priča o ovoj osobi koja donosi nadu,

she was worshipped as Annapurna, the Goddess of food.

bila je obožavana kao Anapurna, boginja hrane.

With the arrival of Annapurna, the world blossomed anew.

Dolaskom Anapurne svet je ponovo procvetao.

People rejoiced at fertility and food, and communed together to give thanks.

Ljudi su se ponovo radovali plodnosti i hrani,

okupljajući se da bi izrazili zahvalnost.

Some believe that Annapurna first appeared in the sacred city of Kashi,

Neki veruju da se Anapurna prvi put pojavila u svetom gradu Kaši,

or the Place of Freedom, on the banks of the Ganges—

ili Mestu slobode, na obalama reke Gang -

where she opened a kitchen to fill the bellies of the people

gde je otvorila kuhinju kako bi hranila ljude

until they could eat no more.

dok nisu bili potpuno siti.

But it was not only mere mortals who were served at her feast.

Ali nisu samo smrtnici bili gosti na njenoj gozbi.

Humbled at the scenes of earthly pleasure blooming all around him,

Skrušen, u procvat zemaljskih zadovoljstava oko njega,

Lord Shiva himself approached the goddess with an empty bowl

gospodar Šiva je lično prišao boginji sa praznom činijom

and begged for food and forgiveness.

moleći za hranu i oproštaj.

For this reason, the supreme deity is sometimes portrayed as a poor beggar

Zbog toga je ovo vrhovno božanstvo ponekad prikazivano kao siromašni prosjak

at the mercy of Annapurna;

u milosti Anapurne,

holding her golden bowl in her left hand, while the right forms the abhaya mudra––

koja drži zlatnu činiju u levoj ruci, dok desnom rukom pravi oblik abhajamudra -

a gesture of safety and assurance.

simbol sigurnosti i uveravanja.

With these symbols, this powerful avatar makes it clear

Ovaj moćni avatar tim simbolima jasno pokazuje

that the material world is anything but an illusion.

da je materijalni svet sve samo ne iluzija.

Rather, it is a cycle of life that must be sustained—

To je više životni ciklus koji mora da se održava -

from the feeding of open mouths and rumbling bellies,

počev od hranjenja gladnih usta i stomaka koji krče,

to the equilibrium of the Earth.

do ravnoteže na zemlji.